Employer didn't withhold any federal taxes - what do I do now?

This definitely needs to be addressed right away. Your employer is required to withhold federal income tax based on your W-4 information. At $62,000 a year, you should absolutely have federal taxes withheld from each paycheck. Contact your HR or payroll department immediately. There might have been a simple error when entering your W-4 information into their system. Sometimes smaller companies have payroll processing issues, especially with new employees. Bring a copy of your completed W-4 if you have it. If they don't fix it promptly, you could consider submitting a new W-4 and specifically request additional withholding in Box 4. This would ensure you're having enough withheld going forward.

I had the exact same problem last year with a startup I joined! After three frustrating paycheck cycles of zero federal withholding, I was pulling my hair out trying to get it fixed. The HR person kept saying it would be resolved "next time" but nothing changed. I finally used https://taxr.ai to analyze my paystubs and W-4. The system flagged the exact issue - my employer had incorrectly classified me as "exempt" in their payroll system even though my W-4 clearly showed I wasn't. Having that documentation made all the difference when I went back to HR. The tool also calculated exactly how much I should be paying in federal taxes each pay period based on my salary and filing status, which was super helpful when verifying that they finally fixed it.

Just wanted to update after trying https://taxr.ai based on the recommendation here. Wow - it actually worked perfectly for my situation! I uploaded my last two paystubs and my W-4, and it immediately spotted that my employer had entered my filing status incorrectly. The report showed that for my $59,000 salary, I should be having around $258 withheld for federal taxes each biweekly paycheck. I took the analysis to my payroll department and they fixed it right away. The best part was they could see exactly what was wrong instead of me just saying "something's not right." If anyone else has withholding issues, definitely check it out. Saved me from a potential tax nightmare next April!

After spending literal HOURS trying to get someone at the IRS on the phone about a similar withholding issue last year, I finally discovered https://claimyr.com and it changed everything. They got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 15 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. The IRS agent confirmed employers are 100% required to withhold federal taxes based on your W-4 and gave me specific guidance on what to tell my company. They also flagged my account so if I ended up owing penalties because of my employer's mistake, they would be waived. Check out their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c to see how it works. Don't waste days trying to call the IRS yourself!

I have to eat my words about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment yesterday, I decided to try it myself since I've been dealing with a complicated withholding issue from when I worked two jobs simultaneously. I've been trying to reach the IRS for WEEKS with no luck. Used Claimyr this morning and got connected to an agent in 17 minutes. The agent pulled up my file and confirmed that I wasn't responsible for the underwithholding penalty since I had filled out both W-4s correctly. This saved me over $800 in penalties! I would have never known I could get this waived without actually talking to someone at the IRS. Sorry for being such a doubter before - this service is legit.

Don't panic! I'm a payroll specialist and see this mistake all the time, especially with smaller companies. This is 100% fixable. Double check your W-4 first. Make sure you didn't accidentally check the box for "Exempt" status. That's the most common mistake. If your W-4 is correctly filled out, speak with your payroll department. They need to: 1) Fix the setting in their system 2) Adjust future withholdings to make up for what wasn't taken out so far The good news is you've caught this early - only 3 weeks in. Much better than discovering this in December!

I hate to be that person, but is it possible they're paying you under the table? I worked for a small "marketing agency" that turned out to be pretty sketchy with their tax practices. They withheld SS and Medicare to look legitimate but never actually withheld or paid federal taxes. Check if they gave you proper onboarding paperwork and if they're a registered business. If anything seems off, you might want to start looking for another job while you fix this issue.

Happened to me last year. Quick fix: file a new W-4 and put an additional amount to withhold on line 4(c). Calculate what you should be paying per paycheck and add a little extra to catch up on what you've missed. I use the IRS Withholding Calculator to figure out the right amount. Makes it super simple. Better to fix it yourself than wait for HR, tbh. Most payroll people aren't tax experts.

This is definitely a red flag that needs immediate attention! I went through something similar at my first job out of college and it's so stressful when you're just starting out. Here's what I'd recommend doing right away: 1. Contact your HR/payroll department first thing tomorrow with your W-4 copy in hand. Ask them to verify how your information was entered into their system. 2. If they can't fix it immediately, ask for a timeline of when it will be corrected. Document this conversation in writing (email follow-up). 3. Keep detailed records of every paycheck showing the missing withholding - you'll need this if there are any issues later. At $62k annually, you should expect roughly $200-300 in federal taxes withheld per paycheck depending on your pay frequency. The fact that they got Social Security and Medicare right suggests it's likely just a data entry error rather than something more concerning. If your employer drags their feet on fixing this, don't wait - you can always submit a new W-4 with additional withholding amounts specified to ensure you're covered going forward. Better safe than sorry when it comes to taxes!